working from here, there, and everywhere.

The android keyboard can be a bit of a p.i.t.a. for developers who are trying to create a good user experience. Sometimes it won’t open when you would expect it to, and other times it will never dismiss without the user having to hit the back button (something which many android users wont realize). I’ve struggled often with the later situation.

Scouring the internet for advice turned up multiple solutions, and I’ve managed to figure some of my own as well. Here are the best solutions I have found.

Introducing JaLaGa

Jalaga is short for Japanese Language Game. It’s a simple flash card game for studying Japanese kana, Hiragana and Katakana. Answer questions to gain points, gain enough points and you level up, as you level up the kana advance in difficulty as well.

I went through some pretty frustrating times recently trying to detect the physical orientation of the mobile device in Android recently so I figure I’ll share my experience and what I learned here to hopefully prevent some pain for others out there.